The present invention pertains generally to support racks for the suspended display of a plurality of sheet-like goods, and particularly to such racks used for retail display of desk chair mats.
Desk chair mats for office and home use are well known. Such chair mats can simply be rectangular or can have a main portion on which the desk chair rolls, and a forward lip portion which is adapted to extend partially under the desk well, and on which the feet of the person sitting in the chair may rest. Desk chair mats which are to be applied over carpeting typically have short spikes, which can be relatively sharp, on the undersides thereof that hold the mats firmly in place.
Generally, desk chair mats are sold at office supply stores. Conventional desk chair mats present unique display problems due in part to their bulky and somewhat unwieldy configuration, and in part to the hazard presented by any sharp spikes on the undersides of the mats. Several attempts have been made at creating visually satisfactory displays of such mats. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,842 discloses several retail display stands that generally include a pair of vertical standards that can be braced by horizontal reinforcement rods and are supported on a pair of leg assemblies. The leg assemblies include horizontal feet and vertical extensions that are telescoped within the lower ends of standards and secured, if desired, by a conventional detent mechanism. One or more horizontal display rods are fixed generally perpendicularly to the reinforcement rod. A number of hooks are fixed to depend from the display rod to receive the chair mats for display. An advertising panel can be added between the standards above the display rod. The chair mats can be suspended from the hooks in either a planar or folded conformation, the latter being preferred. The suspended chair mats can easily be removed from the hooks by a retail consumer. While such displays operate quite satisfactorily in some locations, the essentially bi-lateral presentation of the goods and related display advertising limits the visual appeal presented in other locations. This deficiency is not addressed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,694.
Alternatives to the essentially bilateral presentation of such goods are explored by the display assemblies found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,152,404 and 5,462,178. The former patent discloses a plurality of vertically spaced standards mounted to horizontally spaced display columns, such as along a wall of peg board commonly used in retail environments. A plurality of left-handed outwardly projecting fixtures are clamped along one tier of the standards so that the products, such as floor mats, are supported to face generally toward the left of the display. On another tier of standards, a plurality of right-handed fixtures are clamped to display a plurality of products oriented to face generally toward the right of the display. When positioned along a wall, retail consumers can see essentially all of the goods being displayed from a wide approach angle. A somewhat similar visual appeal is achieved by the display disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,462,178 that has one or more vertical poles spaced from a wall. One or more triangular racks are rotatable about each pole, each side of each rack having an outwardly extending arm to carry the floor mats or similar goods in a suspended or hanging display.
A further enhanced visual presentation of goods can be achieved through a central open floor presentation with the aid of a circular, or substantially circular, rack as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,984,002; 4,981,227 and 6,131,745. In the most recent of these three patents, a small item display and a graphic panel display are attached to the top of the structure. When such racks are sufficiently spaced from any adjacent wall or other obstruction, a purchaser can walk around the rack to inspect the displayed goods. When such racks are situated adjacent to a wall, the wall acts as an impediment to inhibit the selection process.
Thus, there remains a need for a display rack that can optionally be situated adjacent to a wall yet permit consumer easy access to all the desk chair mats or similar articles displayed on the rack that also provides a wide angle visual informative appeal to the shopping consumer. There is also a need for such a rack that is capable of supporting the often bulky and somewhat unwieldy articles in a convenient suspended display that will easily permit selection by the shopping consumer.